a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the manufacture of printed circuit boards, and more particularly to providing a means for testing the circuits on such boards after manufacture.
b. Description of the Prior Art
Printed circuit boards are designed for use in electronic devices, and are intended to facilitate the manufacture of those devices.
A manufactured printed circuit board consists of an arrangement of conductive material placed upon an insulating base with holes therein. The conductive material is arranged to connect the holes in a predetermined pattern so that when electrical components are inserted into the holes, the conductive material connects the components in the pattern necessary to effect the purpose of the circuit. The conductive material acts as the wires of the desired circuit.
Since printed circuit boards, as generally used, are relatively small to permit their placement inside electrical devices (e.g. transistor radios, television sets), it is economical and preferred to manufacture a number of printed circuit boards as regions of a common panel to facilitate the handling and manufacture thereof. By way of example, a 5.times.7 matrix of circuit boards comprising 35 circuit boards of approximately 4 sq. in. could be made from one panel of 9".times.18" during manufacture.
If there are a number of printed circuit boards made on one panel, it becomes necessary to remove the individual circuit boards from the rest of the panel so that they may be placed into their respective devices.
The general method of manufacturing printed circuit boards is well known and understood in the art. A problem, however, arises in the known methods of manufacture, in regard to testing. Because a number of circuit boards on a given panel may be unusable for various reasons after manufacture (e.g. failure of components, improper connections), it is necessary to test each circuit after it is fully constructed. This testing is conventionally done prior to the circuit boards being removed from the panel by engaging the panel with a test pin matrix connected to testing circuitry.